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For generations, every retailer, no matter how perfect the goods he/she sells, has been inundated by what sometimes seems a total wave of complaints. One customer claims a dress did not fit once they got it home (of course they didn't wash it , what a silly question!...) Another points to a snag in a pair of nylons. Still, another brings back a pair of shoes and accusingly shows a flaw in the leather. All demand full credit or cash. These days? The merchant wants to give credit or an online credit, sometimes even a debit card sent in the mail. Customer wants cash or immediate credit to the account they used to buy the item.
IF the customer gets the credit, 'immediate' refund on the debit or credit card used means 5-7 business days, but the merchant seemed to have the ability to take that payment out immediately when the item was purchased.
I deal with many online merchants since I do not drive now and rarely go out. My son deals with the grocery store, but he has a much higher level of tolerance than I do when it comes to pure bullshit that the money-hungry retailers in society throw at the customers. So the question still remains ... IS the customer always right?
My own answer, based on the current society climate is that 40 percent of complaining customers are definitely and demonstrably right, that 40 percent believe they are right, that 20 percent are dishonest.
It has not always been this way. In the 1950s, for instance, I'd revise those figures to 85 to 90 percent of complaining customers being definitely and demonstrably right, 99 percent who believed they were right, and that one percent was merchant dishonest and bent on cheating the merchang. Yes, I know that is way over 100% but it was a different time. Blame it on the old math.
Could any figures more clearly picture the innate honesty of most people in days gone by? Or more concretely prove that it's a good dollars-and-cents business, as well as good ethics, to give the customer the benefit of every doubt?
Let me illustrate. Let's say that a customer was worried because her friend had called her to thank her for the twelve plates the friend had received as an upcoming wedding present .... when the customer had only ordered one, paid for one, and ordered the ONE plate be delivered. There was proof of this on the order slip. The thrilled friend, by the way, does not know of the error by the store and thinks her friend has bought her all twelve plates for her upcoming wedding.
The honest customer would want merchant to handle it internally (because it was the merchant's mistake) and does not want the embarrassment of having to ask her friend to return the other eleven gold-encrusted plates.
These days, many if not most merchants would insist on the eleven plates being returned before they would clear the account. Many customers would try to get a refund for the eleven plates they did NOT pay for, either as a store credit ... more likely as a cash refund to their bank account. Easy money and very, very dishonest. I'm just guessing, but I'd say one gold-encrusted dinner plate could go for around $125.00 each. Multiply that by eleven and that's a nice little freebie our customer could potentially get from our honest merchant.
The merchant would be smart to quietly take the loss, because I would say that nine times out of ten they will be seeing repeat business from that customer in the future. They are honest and have stayed with the motto, "The customer is always right." Even though, in this case, they really could have pushed it and demanded the return of the eleven plates. It is more likely they will see much more profit in the future from that customer either directly or through referrals because customer service is getting so difficult to deal with that this would be a breath of fresh air. I certainly would not forget it.
By the way, this is a true story and happened to someone I actually do know. The store where it happened was a high-end store, and it has since gone out of business, but that store was a wonder to behold, even just looking through the windows. I could take my children in to look at its wonders, especially during the holiday season ... they were trained to never touch anything ... but the store was off-limits to my former husband, who was like a bull in a china shop and had to touch EVERYTHING.
Similar cases could be told by the thousands. A woman buys a heatproof glass skillet. Three months later it cracks and she returns it. Subjected to no cross-examination on just why it cracked, she walks out with cash or a replacement. Later, when she's ready to shop for that long-deferred and much-wanted expensive luxury item, chances are very good she'll head for the store which treated her fairly.
The 'Golden Rule' applies to business as well as to our daily lives. It is not only an honest policy, it is a profitable policy as well. The problem is that today, with everyone (including every business we encounter) desperate for money, that ideal is not always seen.
I recently argued for almost half an hour over $2.00. I finally said for this little gal at the TV. streaming company to keep the ******* $2.00 and hung up on her. To be entirely honest, I don't even think she understood what I was talking about, anyway. The error on the company's part was so simple, I do not believe she comprehended the issue. I simply got tired of explaining it to her.
And I know I should not have lost my temper, but when customer service is so zoned in on losing two bucks and I AM RIGHT, I just give up in frustration. I'll pay the extra two bucks each month for the service. It is worth normal blood pressure to me. I don't know who hires some of these customer service people, but it spreads across all industries from my medical insurance company to my television streaming services. I get especially irritated when they can't speak proper English. I think they can understand the words but cannot grasp the meaning of what is being said. Understanding the words and grasping the meaning of the words are two very different things.
Who first enunciated the principle that the customer is always right is truly unknown. Perhaps it was the early American merchants who were noted for utterly scrupulous business dealings. Certain it is, however, that the men of 1950s merchandising cemented the rule into place as the very cornerstone of their business policy and saw their respective enterprises grow great upon it.
At first, the customer-is-always-right idea proved radical. It came into a business world in which the ethics of the horse-trader largely prevailed. "Cheat 'em quick - and let 'em stay cheated." High-pressure selling, deceptive advertising, false marking of goods or no marking at all .... such practices were so common as to be almost the rule in the latter half of the 1800s. The customer had the entire store at his beck when he bought - but when he came back with unsatisfactory goods, the best he got was glacial stares.
Gradually, however, thinking retail executives began to see that business is a two-way street. They knew their own rights. Let a customer try to pass off some counterfeit money or refuse to pay a bill and they would howl to high heaven and call in the law, if need be. And justly. But now. awakening to the new philosophy, they began to ask what rights if any, pertained to the customer. If a store sold misrepresented goods that were, in effect, also counterfeit, the buyer, they saw, had no comeback at all. Yet had he not a certain moral right? Even though no law yet backed him up, had not the customer the right to expect what he bought to equal the claims made for it by the seller? And frankly, now, wasn't this matter of disgruntled customers bad business in the long run?
And with the dawn, brick-and-mortar retailers began to establish restrooms, personal-service desks, children's play rooms, free deliveries, information booths, and a hundred-and-one other customer benefits that became commonplace. Did the customer respond? Some, yes. Honesty, it is said, begets honesty. The store which gave its customers the most got the most customers.
That was the 1950s. Some of those perks still apply today. I will not use a public restroom unless in dire need, though. I did not let my children play in public children's play areas when I saw vomit, piss & shit in those areas .... that only took ONE viewing. No matter how much the kids whined, there was no compromise. There is no longer any such thing as 'free' deliveries. Oh, they say there are, but not unless you pay a monthly subscription fee to get those 'free' deliveries. Nothing is free ... not these days. If you don't pay for it today, you will next month or down the line.
Let's talk about the saying 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware).
The original meaning was just that every customer complaint should be taken at face value. It made more sense when consumer rights were weaker and caveat emptor ("buyer beware") was the basic principle in sales. In that context taking customer complaints seriously was an effective way to show that you stood behind your product, and the increased sales would far outweigh the occasional dishonest customer in theory.
That custom/policy has long outlived its usefulness. Now customers generally have more recourse if they are sold a crappy product and want their money back. There are usually refund policies and warranties offered by the business, legally mandated warranties, chargebacks for credit card users, government agencies, legislation like lemon laws, and there is always a possibility of a lawsuit in extreme cases based on express or implied warranties. Beyond that customers can complain online and make their voice heard to potential customers, hurting the business. Think Yelp or Google reviews. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than they had in the 1950s.
Some people have tried to adapt the phrase "the customer is always right" by adding things like "in matters of taste" to make it about preferences and market demand, but that isn't the original meaning. I do not believe there has been any widespread issue of businesses or salespeople disregarding customer preferences (just some whining and Tik-Tok videos), but I must admit I get a bit of a kick watching the shoppers nutting out in stores on the internet when they 'think' their wants and needs are being pushed off to the side for a variety of reasons.
The oft-cited example, not objecting to a customer's request that their car be painted hot-pink, makes zero sense. Go to a paint shop and ask them to paint your car hot pink. They'll do it. Go to a dealer and order a new model in a custom puke-green color, then get it reupholstered in leopard-print pleather. They'll do it. Money is money.
The saying is about taking customer complaints at face value. There isn't some greater hidden meaning or omitted second part of the phrase.
One hotel keeper I read about during my research for this blog post had a rather unique take on things ... it may be said this largely influenced his policy in running restaurants and hotels.
He was fond of saying "Le client n'a jamais tort, (the customer is never wrong)" and no complaint, however frivolous, ill-grounded, or absurd, meeting with anything but civility and attention from his staff Visitors to restaurants when in a bad temper sometimes find fault without any justification.
Whatever, but the most grumblers soon became ashamed of complaining when treated with unwavering civility. Under such conditions they were soon mollified, leaving with blessings upon their lips.
Now that the wages for workers have gone up, though, people are cutting down eating out. I've heard of 'fast food wars.' As if what they serve could even be vaguely called food. When I hear of someone paying $18.00 for an extra-large drink that was probably mostly ice made from disgusting tap water, I'm definitely done with going to fast-food joints for drinks, too. Restaurants? Nope. I'll open that expensive jar of peanut butter I bought before I pay $50.00 for a clubhouse sandwich that was hastily thrown together at my local family restaurant and the days of the fine dining restaurants are definitely in my past.
The real dishonesty is in the tipping that is expected by the workers, though. On top of the ridiculous prices, we are supposed to leave a tip? I think not. Now that they are earning the wage they wanted so badly, that will have to suffice. Tips are for excellent service, and when it is expected not earned, I'm not playing.
Taxis are among the worst. One of the most frustrating experiences I've had is recently when I used a taxi to the tune of $50.00 and then found out at the end of the ride that they do not accept debit or credit cards. I had used this particular taxi company before and used my debit card. Nothing was mentioned about the new cash only policy when I book the taxi the day before the ride, or before this ride started. Luckily I had cash, but the driver got only an 8% tip and she was lucky she got that.
Perhaps next time she will mention that little detail to her fares. She was lucky I did not just get out of the cab and walk off. I would have no problem telling the police about the issue and wasting an hour or more of her time when she could be collecting more fares. In cash. From others who did not know they could not use a card. But, I happened to be in a forgiving mood that particular day.
So, dishonesty comes in many forms. Is the customer always right?
Of course you should not take 'the customer is always right' literally ... its not meant to be used that way. Your main concern should be to please your customers. Having the attitude that 'the customer is always right' is still appropriate in today's business world just as much as it was in the 1950s.
The customer has a high expectation, whether it be an order from Amazon or the drive-through window at their favorite fast-food place. If these very high expectations are not met, the customer's business will easily go elsewhere and complaints could be the result. And I'm not only talking about the complaint department at the company.
Social media has made complaining about business very, very easy with various platforms that encourage reviews with that 5-star rating. It only takes one review with a 1-star rating to cause some real problems for a business. I do not hold back when it comes to posting a negative review online if I am really unhappy with service, especially when it comes to yardwork. By the same token, treat me right and I will give a glowing 5-star review with a lovely text narrative to go along with it.
I get very upset when Amazon is untruthful with me. They used to be great when it came to replacements, but now I cannot even get them to send a box and label so I can send something back. Because I am homebound, it is not like I can run out and get these things. So I'm stuck with a substandard product if things go sideways. It has not happened often, but it does happen. If I am less than happy with Amazon, chances are I will simply not leave a review at all. Because putting my time and energy into a negative review on a product sold through Amazon can be a real waste of that time and energy because ...
Amazon now does not accept negative reviews. Many places are going this route, and that is the Artificial Intelligence influence. Certain negative words the AI picks up and the entire review is rejected. Words like 'disliked' or 'substandard.' Words that would matter in a legitimate review. Back to the days of milk and warm cookies for everyone, and a trophy for everyone, I guess.
It’s important that you take care when dealing with your customers, especially when social networks have become a powerful influence in dictating most aspects of life. You may be surprised how easily posting something online can cause backlash and even result in business destruction if your customer doesn’t hold back and posts a scathing review. These negative reviews are not meant to push retailers OUT of business ... they are meant to warn others of the shady business practices of which that business has been guilty.
I think it is time we begin to look at a different way to interpret the old saying, "the customer is always right." It's not just an 'old adage' anymore; it's about exploring why customers want what they want. In our ever-changing society ... in the 21st century ... those who understand this will have the edge they need to gain and keep the competitive edge.where every customer interaction matters and, while we will not be able to wipe it out completely, dishonesty will not be so prevalent.
I certainly cannot expect to change this old saying, 'the customer is always right,' but perhaps I can put another thought into the minds of others ... how about 'the customer always deserves to be helped.”
Darkmum
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